Max Eyes the Southeast Asian Market with a 7-Strong Rollout

There’s an expansion in the works for the Max streaming service. With a planned 7 new markets ready to roll out across Southeast Asia, we finally have the much-anticipated launch date in hand. Brandon Blake, our expert one of the top entertainment law firms Los Angeles ?from Blake & Wang P.A., shares the news.

Brandon Blake

Expansive Rollout

With this expansion into the Southeast Asian market, Max will be available in 72 markets globally. They have further expansions planned for 2025 as well. From Nov 19th, Max will now be available in:

●???? Malaysia

●???? Indonesia

●???? The Philippines

●???? Thailand

●???? Singapore

●???? Hong Kong, and

●???? Taiwan.

According to Warner Bros. Discovery's data, this rollout will cover a wide range of plan tiers, including a special tier created specifically for this market, offering lower-cost mobile-only services. The pricing details will, naturally, vary by provider and country.

The Southeast Asian streaming market presents a unique opportunity, with over 650 million potential viewers and rapidly growing internet penetration rates. The region’s young, tech-savvy population and increasing disposable income make it an attractive target for streaming services. Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to introduce a mobile-only tier shows some smart interpretation of local viewing habits, as mobile devices remain the primary means of content consumption in many Southeast Asian countries.

Australian customers, it seems, will have to wait for the first half of 2025 to receive their own direct-from-HBO service. This seems like an unusual exclusion for the initial rollout but is likely due to their geographical divide and the accompanying rights management that follows.

Augmenting HBO Go

Warner Bros. Discovery do already have a market presence in some parts of East Asia through their standalone HBO Go streaming service. However, the new Max expansion is designed to supplant this platform, offering both an expanded content library and several technological improvements.

These content offerings will cover most of Warner Bros. Discovery’s most iconic entertainment brands, including the DC Universe and Harry Potter, alongside HBO and Discovery content and the Cartoon Network. Their Hollywood films will also be on offer.

The streaming landscape in Southeast Asia is already crowded with both regional and international players. Netflix, Disney+, and local providers like Viu and iQIYI have established strong footholds. Max’s entry must differentiate itself through unique content offerings and (we assume) a competitive pricing strategy. The inclusion of local content and potential partnerships with regional producers could be crucial for Warner Bros. Discovery’s further success in these markets.

This expansion into the Southeast Asian market follows rollouts across North and Latin America and Europe. Asia-Pacific was the last major regional market without a significant presence, and this initial rollout will be expanded on in 2025. While Asia-Pacific still receives some HBO offerings through the aforementioned standalone services and their wider blockbuster cinematic releases, this will be the first streaming app for the market Warner Bros. Discovery trials in the area.

It will be intriguing to see if Max’s Southeast Asian expansion will serve as a blueprint for other streaming services looking to enter the region. The mobile-first approach and tiered pricing strategy could prove particularly influential and give them a market edge. As streaming services continue to look for growth outside the mostly saturated Western markets, the lessons learned from this rollout will be valuable for the industry, too.

With the promise of future expansions in 2025, including the Australian market, Max appears poised for an attempt to strengthen its position as a major player in the global streaming wars, an arena in which it has been direly lacking to date.